7,152 Roses for Our Lady of Guadalupe

On Behalf of the Unborn – February 29, 2020

“Thank you so much for bringing these roses to Our Lady. La Virgen of Guadalupe is for all peoples and we are so blessed that you have come from the United States with so many roses and intentions. We all need to pray and to keep up the fight in defense of unborn children. Please tell all of the people who sent roses that we are praying for them and we ask that they pray for us…”

These words sum up the reactions and comments of thousands of people who stopped to ask what was happening with so many roses.

On Saturday morning, the 29th of February, 74 arrangements totaling 7,152 roses were placed at the shrine of the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

More than 300,000 pilgrims were present as we delivered the roses sent by the donors and supporters of Catholic Action for Faith and Family to Our Lady of Guadalupe on behalf of the Unborn. Thousands of intentions were also placed at Our Lady’s feet as promised.

This year has special significance as 2020 is the 125th anniversary of the coronation of Our Lady of Guadalupe by Pope Leo XIII in 1895. A magnificent crown was sent by the Holy Father and is still present at the shrine.

With so many roses to present, we needed a bigger team than previous years. Fortunately, this was not a problem as so many people wanted to help this effort for the La Virgen de Guadalupe.

As has become the custom, the custodians of the shrine inside the Basilica cleared the entire area to the left of the main altar and the miraculous image for our roses.

An important historical note is that no flowers are allowed to be placed directly in front of Our Lady of Guadalupe. In 1921, a young man named Luciano Perez Carpio placed a bouquet of flowers concealing a bomb before the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The subsequent explosion destroyed the marble altar and damaged a large crucifix. The miraculous image of Our Lady was completely unscathed.  For this reason, all flowers are placed either to the right or left of the image but no arrangements are allowed to be placed directly in front of Her.

After our 74 rose arrangements were presented to Our Lady along with all the intentions that were sent, a Holy Mass was offered specifically for the intentions of each person who sent roses to Our Lady and on behalf of the Unborn who are threatened by abortion.

The message of Our Lady of Guadalupe is so important now more than ever. Our Lady promised protection and aid to all those who come to her. She told St. Juan Diego and all of us not to fear and not to be anxious!

In her own words:

Am I not here, I, who am your mother? Are you not under my shadow and my protection? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, the crossing of my arms? Am I not the source of all your joy?...Let nothing worry you or disturb you!

It is with the certainty of Her maternal protection that we continue to beseech Her to protect the Unborn for the horrific and diabolical threat of abortion which is truly the human sacrifice of our modern world.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!

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